House Dems vow to expand Medicaid, 'reclaim MAHA,' force all states to legalize abortion if they take back Congress

Democrats have released an agenda that includes promising to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act within the first 100 hours if they take control of Congress back from Republicans. The proposed legislation would establish nationwide protections for abortion access and override many existing state restrictions.

In an 84-page agenda obtained by Politico, House Democrats outline a series of health care policies they plan to enact if they regain a majority in Congress. The policies also suggest “reclaiming MAHA” and appealing to supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Among the proposals are measures to regulate healthcare companies, require hospitals to charge the same prices as physicians for certain services, and remove Trump administration protections for glyphosate, an herbicide. The agenda also called for expanding Medicare and Medicaid, reversing vaccine policies enacted under Kennedy, and boosting federal funding for scientific research.

The Women’s Health Protection Act was listed among the priorities for the first 100 hours in a Democratic-controlled Congress. The legislation would establish federal protections for abortion access by prohibiting many state and federal restrictions. The bill would prohibit restrictions such as mandatory waiting periods and ultrasounds, as well as abortion bans before fetal viability. After viability, abortions would remain permitted when a healthcare provider determines they are necessary for the health of the woman. 

The latest version of the legislation was introduced in June of last year and is sponsored by Democratic Representative Judy Chu. The bill follows earlier versions introduced in Congress and renewed efforts to establish federal abortion protections after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

“We cannot have true equality in America without reproductive freedom,” Chu claimed last year. “Three years after the Supreme Court ripped away the right to bodily autonomy, millions of women are living in a country of forced birth bleeding in ER parking lots, crossing state lines for care, or being kept on life support against their families’ wishes.”

“That’s why I’m proud to reintroduce the Women’s Health Protection Act, because no one should have more rights in California than in Texas. We will not stop fighting until we achieve full reproductive justice,” she added.